ORIGIN

BaT Exclusive: Dad’s 1970 Opel GT

This 1970 Opel GT (chassis 942195206) was purchased new from a Buick Opel dealer in Illinois by the seller’s father in October of 1970 when the seller was a junior in high school. His dad ended up using it as a fun third car, up until he turned 90 three years ago. Extensive work was carried out over its lifetime by the same mechanic that installed the dealer-added A/C system when the car was new, and mechanical invoices total over $8k in the last three years to bring it back up to the condition shown here. The seller brought the car to California two years ago and says that it is in solid driving condition but that it is time to part with it. This Opel is now available in Atherton, California for $13,500.

The body had a partial respray a number of years ago in the original L406 Chartreuse color, so the paint is good but not perfect. It shows some rust in places, but not extensive according to the seller. Original mileage is 76,xxx, and it includes the original books, warranty document, and tools. The bumpers and trim look to be in excellent condition… much nicer than you usually see on these cars.

The shot below was taken in August 1971 and shows the current seller sitting in the car when he was 42 years younger.

Below is a photo of the car in 1990 of the seller’s dad (the original owner) with some of his Illinois car pals.

The dashboard is in excellent condition following a full removal and re-cover job in 2010 that included removing all instruments, heater controls, and stereo. The dash was removed and re-covered outside the car and then properly reinstalled. The look is way better than most worn stock dashes we see in these cars. All new gauge and control bulbs were added at that time. The rest of the interior is all original, including the factory steering wheel and radio. That wild center console is the dealer added A/C vent system. We asked the seller if it blew cold and he went and tested it to confirm that it does function and blow cold (by old car standards).

The engine has had extensive maintenance and upkeep as documented by many invoices from the same shop in Illinois. They totaled the following and are available for review:

The mechanic who did the work over the most recent years was the young Buick/Opel mechanic who installed the air conditioning originally at the dealership. The seller says that he really knows the car. He removed the transmission for rebuilding and replaced the factory carb with a much better running Weber in October of 2011. The steering rack was also fully rebuilt at the same time the dash restoration was done in 2010. The seller drove the car last week and says it revs up nicely.

California title is in hand and in the son’s name with no encumbrances.

124 Comments

Read – the seller got it for free,it was his Dad’s car, but the money is more important than the car. Give it away to the guy that knew your family,& the car would be given a loving home to someone who will spend money on it,& give it a good home.

Dad echoed my “once was enough” sentiment, but he suggested I buy one for myself so I can put all the tools I’ve accumulated in my garage to good use. I think that was a dig…

@Bringatrailer…

As Varjak noted, our references to blowing the roof off the Nakatomi Plaza building were a little off-topic, but they are innocent references to the movie Die Hard (the greatest Christmas movie of all time ;-) – perhaps you’ve heard of it?

In about (Was it?) 1993, we went to the Meadowbrook Hall Concourse (North Of Detroit) and the associated Waterford Hills Vintage Races. That was fun. There was a light Yellow Opel GT that was racing. I talked to the Owner/Driver. He said the engine a was stock. It seemed pretty fast. It may have had a header. He said he torched the springs, which I believe is valid if it is done carefully. He was racing closely, but a head of a Volvo 1800S. I was standing at a tight turn and watching. That car was just sweet in the corners! Somewhere on the Web there were was original old film footage of Conrereo OpelGT(s). Targa Florio, etc. They would run with the 911S Porsches. The suspension is (I forget the front) but the rear is torque tube and that needs no traction bars. I believe the suspension is well suited for racing.

SCCA rules make these somewhat more competitive with the newer cars. The Opel is rather aero. As to the engine, look up Opel Rally cars.

I had one. Same color, which I liked on this car. Only two pedals, ugh! If the Sole worked at all, it didn’t work with the automatic. No way to get it to idle high enough in gear without dripping gas out if the venturi, loading up the engine.

Anyway, LOTS of legroom. I had a friend who was about 6′ 10″ who had no trouble driving it. Settling in took a minute, so we’d meet somewhere, he’d get in and drive, and we would head off to McDonald’s on Saturday night (back when kids hung out there). Pull in with 400w of Nazereth, “Hair of the Dog” blaring (some attention), flip the headlights closed before turning them off (more people looking), then Bill would get out of a car that came up to his waist. Bill’s answer to “how can you drive that thing?” was always, “Once you get in, it’s got more room than my Vista Cruiser!”

I must say, this seems to be one of the most polarizing cars I’ve seen here yet!

My sister had the GT (ugly white!), but I preferred the Mantas…to the tune of 8 of them. Kudos to TangoUniform, you sir, nailed it! LMFAO! I enjoyed the ‘values’ rendition as well.

No trunk…sort of: anyone remember having to get the spare out? And OH that wonderful jack (Heh-Heh!).

Also, there was the illustrious windscreen washer: floor-mounted rubber bulb that usually leaked at some point.

The Weber DGA/DGV was a neccessity, but the Frigidaire compressor was scary…not only for the weight, but for the crudely designed mount brackets that always wore through the bolts or broke, then rubbed through the fenderwell headed for the tire.

Yes, the factory wheels and tires were undersized, but these cars were a blast to launch due to the ‘torque-tube’ input into the differential…that showed up later on Chevettes.

Dash issues: correct…drop the column for everything save for heater core change. THAT one required near engine removal.

The dealers kept the Opel signs into the 90’s due to GM’s bright idea to get Isuzu off the ground by licensing Opels to them…yea, they lasted, huh?

So, yes, I still remember well how to work on them, I just think a newer V6 implant (with drivetrain) would be easier and MUCH more fun to drive.

I remember in the mid ’90s when I just got my license and I was at a Buick dealer in the Chicago burbs and in the service department they had the outdoor sign laying in there and I stood there looking at it, wondering what the heck vehicle an Opel was. How or why “Opel” remained on the outdoor sign at that dealership through the mid-’90s still mystifies me today! Who knows maybe it was where this guy got all his parts and service and they were an oasis of Opel.

This was my first car at 16. Same color too. Bought it for $800, added some cragar slots and an offset racing stripe to make it look faster. It handled great but could not get out of its own way. Winter in Ohio was always fun. Two 80# bags of rock salt on the rear deck helped but there were many days when the manual headlights froze and the little carb looked like a small ice cube tray. Sold it for a healthy profit and parlayed It on a 68 Mustang two years later because I could get more girls in the car. Always wish I had kept it.

This has always been one of my favorite cars. When I lived in Italy there were quite a few on the road, but I have seen maybe one after living in California for over 30 years. Unfortunately, this is not a good time, otherwise I would run, not walk over there to buy it.

I really wanted to buy one of these as my first car back in around 85 or so and I found a really beautiful dark maroon one nearby- they were very rare ever 25 years ago. Beautiful car and nice interior- got close to buying, then talked to my grandfather who had a couple Opels- mostly Kadetts. He could fix anything and worked for the local television station as their fix it-guru. A real mechanical genius. He hated how unreliable and how much work his Opels were. But of course, they were cheap to buy. He pulled me aside and talked me out of the purchase. These were beautiful, very aerodynamically efficient little designs with the Kamm tail and all, but mechanically they seemed to be poorly engineered and “underbuilt”. A few months later I bought a Z instead and never looked back.

@ Jeffrey Hamilton – thank you kindly for the find, sir! That one is “two towns over” from me, and the belly looks a lot cleaner too. But I’d be afraid to even drive it home now that salt season is here.

It was a very cool project car; C&D did a lot of them — remember the series of “Boss Wagons” they did up for Mr. Editor Davis? Or the 240Z? Back when magazines still supported the idea of tuning and building. Today, the closest we come is Ezra from Automobile stuffing a mega-Diesel into his Bronco. A worthy project, but there aren’t enough of them done anymore.

A friend had one of these in the metallic green when we were teens. He was one heck of a driver, and I remember being with him when he found the limits a few times. Pretty amazing what these cars could do. He had us sideways once, a good 100 feet before the right turn, and the car handled the corner like a real champ! I marvel at still being alive!

Before even thinking engine swap, realize that 1.9 liter block can be bored and stroked to 2.4 liters using stock chevy 305 pistons, the blocks are that durable. And you get 10+:1 compression. With gentle porting you get 150-190 horsepower and revs going to 6 or 7k. A lot easier than shoehorning a big engine in there. All that and it still stays balanced. Now the baby Vette keeps up with the daddy Vette (or Porsche). A lot of bang for the buck.

Okay, according to Wiki assembly WAS in Germany, though Brissonneau & Lotz built the bodies. Seems an odd way to do it …

Back when I’d see one now and then, I’d always admire it and then wonder what the hell they were thinking with no trunklid? Naming a car “GT” implies that one may tour grandly in it. Hard to do that when you can hardly pack more than some socks and underwear. Hell, I couldn’t even use this for grocery shopping, unless I made some parcel-holder for the passenger seat.

@ jh – The bodies were built by a French firm; I don’t know for sure, but it makes sense to me that the running gear would be shipped from Opel’s factory in Germany to the bodymaker’s for finishing. That’s how it’s usually done with Karmann, Bertone and the like.

Don’t remember the company’s name, but easy enough to look up with the Magic Box here …

The Opel Chartreuse color was bright yellow with a hint of green tint to it. I compare it to a highlighter yellow. 1970 was the only year this color was available on, and it is often repainted a wrong color yellow. It is not pea green, I think his lighting is a shady day, and it gives it an even more exaggerated hint of green. The GM a/c was a copy of an ARA unit, which used a York compressor (Still the same one that 60’s Cadillacs used) The console was even more so bulky, and fragile. Looks to be a nice car, with a good freshen up. Not overly restored, but maintained. If I had my fathers car that he had bought new, left to me….selling would be my only option if I was about to be flat broke and on the street. Even then I would consider living in it for a while.

Since when were Opels French? [see caption heading] Two friends owned these new, and another bought one when it was 2 years old. They all liked the cars. The 2 males had 4 speed no air, and the girl had automatic and air. memory says she commented once or twice about the a/c blowing up under her [short] skirts or something…

Nice GT in what I find a nice color. While I have always loved Manta A’s more for some reason, the GT’s are really growing on me.

I always keep an eye out for Manta’s and just yesterday I found a Manta right in town with only 25K miles, but it was hit hard years ago Left Rr and then sat. In my Quest for Manta’s there are always lots of GT’s available, perhaps it is time to think about them more seriously.

Good friend of mine just sold his excellent silver GT two weeks ago for $12k. His car was in better condition than this yellow car. He had $16k into it. I think he sold it too cheap. It’s in Tennessee now.

These are exceptionally cute baby ‘Vette’s, and I’ve liked them ever since way back when. Most of them are long gone from Ontario’s roads due to Ontario’s love of “winter road salting programs”, so it’s nice to see a really good looking example with a one-family history.

The price seems a bit excessive to me (one-family history?), and it’s hasn’t helped endear itself to me with the original paint scheme, orange, yellow, and chartreuse are not some of my personal favourites (to each their own), A/C is a nice feature, possibly with a newer condenser that is somewhat smaller than the 1960’s Kelvinator behemoth currently residing under the hood.

Here’s one I found, it’s not my favourite colour either (orange), but it boasts only 38,111 miles that the dealer says is verifiable and at $9,500 is $4,000 cheaper than this one and that is with the “dealer added value” :D. It looks very clean( as does this BaT offering), too. Maybe with that $4K savings realized, I could afford to have it painted a colour I really like , ‘candy apple red’ for example. :) Plus it’s on the east coast, so it’s a lot handier for some of us, factor in those shipping costs !

As I said earlier this week,Jboat is making an unstoppable run for the “bellcord”.We are all the better for it. The “opel values” bit is priceless. Boat,I can only hope that when (if) I retire ,I can keep my opinions as positive and constructive as yours,without being so benign as to be wishy washy.You set the bar,my friend.

@Bill Clay I also remember pulling the headlight handle back and watching them roll from the down position in a counterclockwise 180 degree roll to the up and locked setting. This was in my friends dark green ’69.

Yeah, our trashy East Coast girls didn’t fit so well. Usually it was the big hair crushed against the roof. Never enough headroom unless you had a roadster, then it was whining about the wind messing up the coiff.

I’m 6’2 @ 220 lbs and pretty wide during that time & I fit with no issues. My cousin is taller and he had one for years until he was wacked by a Semi truck and lived to tell about it. But then again I also raced a spec Miata and had no problem being compacted into that 18.5 inch Kirkey

on headlight rotation

I can’t recall direction but I do recall the woman who sold it too me commenting on it being properly lubricated and to make sure I did the same. I just found a copy of the owners manual she gave us at the time.

on grammar rant

the correct answer is……….. I don’t give a ……. Lets talk about cars. It’s the content, not how its delivered, as long as its someone enjoys it, don’t let it bother you

Good question. They tend to be politically moderate, slightly left-leaning. A once-strong focus on individual freedoms has faded (well-demonstrated by the demise of virtually all Opel-based sports cars), replaced with a more family value focus (more sedans) as the brand ages.

Opels favor the freedom of suburban lifestyles over rural or urban, as they still enjoy a two-lane run. They always vote, pay their taxes and support environmental causes (Germany’s Greens ifluence, you know). They tend to be monogamous and engage in long-term relationships, ending only when illness, age or rust set in.

Much more has been written about Opel values, but it’s all in German, and my translator is on break. Hope this was helpful.

Kristoj mentioned that Atherton is “one seriously expensive ZIP Code.” From Wikipedia’s note on demographics from the 2010 Census: “The median income for a household in the town was in excess of $250,000, the highest of any place in the United States.”

@MIKUL – And isn’t Chartreuse a liqueur? And didn’t the guys at Car & Driver magazine have a race car sponsored by Chartreuse back when Bedard, Sherman, Jeanes, et al didn’t just write about racing, but actually walked the walk (pardon the mismatched metaphor)?

As I recall, they made reference to the consequences of over-indulging in Chartreuse.

p.p.s. When we were looking for hopup equipment we found none for the 1100 but we got a 4″ stack of catalogs from Germany for the 1900…you can even make it look exactly like a miniature Vette but catalogs for the engine mods are magnificent…you could buy engines complete, in five stages of tune, up to way way over 200hp.

Remember Virgilio Conrero? As in Conrero Alfa Romeo? He was canned as official Alfa factory raceprep guy due to familial relations in management and replaced by Autodelta. Ennyway he went to tuning Opels. And in those fine days of the 2-liter GT World Championship, his Opels beat–tadaaa! the Porsche 911S racers. One of the happiest days of my automotive life. Even beat ’em at the Targa Florio with all its twisties. Go Opel GT! p.s. raced an 1100 from ’87 up till recently. Tex Arnold made it handle like a live-axle Formula Ford.

@Chuck H: I agree with “perception”, as most of us Americans thought so at the time. The ’68 ‘Vette and the ’68 Opel appeared on the market at the same time, but the Opel GT was a 1965 “show car” aka “styling exercise” at the Paris and Frankfurt auto shows. So, perhaps Detroit stylists copied Germany for our fat-assed American version. That’s OK too. The GT really is so small that a Size 12 woman or above would be uncomfortable after a few miles. When I was 18, all the women were Size 4, 6, or 8 ;).

I can’t resist a comment here, as this was my first car, a 1970 1.9 liter, at age 17. It was wonderful to drive, excellent handling on its Michelins, and mine was the burnt orange preferred by many posters. This is gorgeous, a little pricey but, hey, fix the rust and drive it! I will note: the dash restoration is not unusual, as virtually any electrical issue, including removing the stereo, requires first dropping the steering column and then pulling the dashboard. The usual result is chafed wires along the ignition and steering column. These owners were smart, and replaced every single bulb/switch/etc. while apart. The headlamps roll over axially, not longitudinally, with a lever next to the driver’s seat geared to a mechanism just under the nose. You WILL look like a wanker if this isn’t lubricated properly! If maintained, it works perfectly, and on mine the beam adjustment was always spot on. These cars ARE tiny, and meant purely for thin people. I did OK, but had to open the window to flex my left elbow. Loved it all the same, and good luck to the new owner. This GT has been cared for and will be fun for a long time! I finally replaced this first car with a new CRX Si, parked one next to other, and the 144.7″ long CRX looked like a station wagon next to the Opel! Finally, I saw a perfect 1970 GT in red at fall Hershey in ’01, as well as a perfect ’67 250SL 4-speed, but had no money: I had just taken out a bank note on a sweet MX-5. Choices!

OldAlfaGuy beat me to the “install modern rotary compressor” suggestion, but aside from that I would not change diddley, especially not the color! As has been noted, Atherton is not exactly cheap real estate, and while people of means do not always take proper care of their things this guy and his dad obviously have. Had I the ready cash and a place to keep an utterly impractical wheel toy I’d feel safe in paying for it, then flying up and driving it back … after having located a good Opel mechanic, of course. What a little sweetheart!

As a kid, I was always dismissive of these due to the perception of a design derived from the contemporary Corvette.

Now that I’m older, I’m sure that these stand on their own merits. Nevertheless, if it was my $13K, I would choose a somewhat similar German car: a Porsche 944. Probably even a very nice ’89 2.7 or later 3.0 S2 would fit in that budget…if you could find one that was maintained properly.

It’s been said before, but if you have to have one of these this looks like the car and seller with whom you want to deal. The maintenance and ownership history is what we are all looking for in our search for cool classics. Though the salty Illinois roads / history would certainly give me pause. I looked at a newer car (2001) from Chicago a few weeks ago and it already had rust in places I never would have expected. And this was a high end car. Rust does not discriminate.

I apologize in advance for my mini grammar rant, but can we please stop using “prolly” in place of probably? It makes intelligent people sound like 12 year old girls who talk and smack their bubble gum at the same time. You sound like an idiot and I know you’re not! Carry on.

Chartreuse, for you younger guys, is a pale green with a lot of yellow mixed in. In the 50’s era cars it was absolutely gorgeous. This 70’s version color, although fun, is skewing to a more yellow end of the spectrum and is not a true chartreuse.

Mechanically identical to the Opel Kadette(‘the mini brute’ as is was campaigned in the print ads) which was considered one of the more entertaining econo boxes of the day. The auto mags were fond of both Opels. Tough color to love, but you’d be hard pressed to change it given the period look and originality factor. Most were in orange as I recall. Always thought they looked great, very sexy and the styling hold up well over time. Love the slim bumpers, the last years before the mandated cow catchers started uglifying sports cars.

HIHIHI, and there is still the old joke about the GT driver with his one arm full of muscles for : Headlight in, Headlight out, Headlight in, Headlight out, Headlight in, Headlight out . . . . mechanical moved by a ” Stick ” . . . . . . . .

These cars are really good in the dirt! I had one in college and used to drive the unpaved roads between Del Mar and Poway in North San Diego. My brother, a much better driver than I, could not stay anywhere near me in his 2002. The opposite was true on pavement. This started my interest in rally cars!

My 10th grade biology teacher had one of these. During halloween of 1976 ten of his students picked the car up and set it between two trees with about six inches of clearance on each end. He had to cut one of the trees down to get it out of there!

Ahh great memories. 30 years ago this month I was transferred to Boston & met my wife to be. She was driving an AMC Spirit with a straight six, manual brakes and steering & a four speed. When I asked how she ended up with that POS she said she wanted a sports car and that is what her dad & brother found her.

I started my search and found a family in Natick that had a driveway full of Opel GT’s. Prolly 5 or 6 . The car was perfect. I put a deposit on the exact same car and color combo but with no A/C. When I told her that I bought her a car (with her money of course) she started balling & crying saying that “I never drive anything cool”. She was so beside herself I couldn’t console her. We drove by the house later that night and when she saw it she screamed “its a baby Corvette” Indeed a baby Covette, we paid $2500. She was soon zipping all over town in that little yellow car. My hippy chick became a car girl overnight. It was bliss until someone rear ended her & took that little gem out. Sure it was crude with a transverse leaf spring front suspension, agricultural cam in head 1.9 engine but who cares , It was cool and very reliable with an awesome interior to boot. This began a succession of cool yellow rides that continues to this day.

In this tale is the secret to car guy happiness my brethren. I always kept her in a cool ride and she never gave me $h@t about any of the many, many, many, cars, projects, my constant 30 years of racing or trips to car factories & famous races disguised as vacations…….

An opel gt was the first car I ever owned and in yellow when I turned 16. It already had a ton of miles. I soon had it painted at earl scheib cheapy paint job candy apple red. It looked good too at a distance. Sold it within a year, while showing it the prospective owner said how great/mean it sounded. Two weeks later they came back to the gas station I worked at complaining the exhaust fell off. Got good money for that little pup. $2200. Had to replace the carb as well to a Weber. Ahh the memories and mamories I got to see and have in that car.

@rich tintera – Totally agree on the leg room. An older sister had an Opel GT and my 6’4″ frame fit it nicely. She had the selling dealer install that wacky A/C unit in her car, too. It’s a perfect example of compromises that are frequently necessary when A/C is installed on a car that was not designed to accommodate all of the necessary components. The buyer would be well advised to replace that very efficient but humongous and heavy GM compressor with a modern Denso rotary unit. Same performance with a fraction of the weight and space needed for it.

In the fall of 2011, I was driving on the Northern State Parkway on Long Island and saw one of these trundling along in the middle lane. It was badly beat up, not one straight body panel and there was rust everywhere. I couldn’t believe how small it was, my ’08 A4 absolutely towered over it. There is also a yellow one of these under a shredded tarp outside of the body shop where my parents have taken their cars for years. The shop owner apparently restored it for his son and almost immediately it was rear ended by a driver outside his shop. Apparently he didn’t have the heart/desire to re-restore it again. I haven’t been by in a couple of years but I assume it’s still there.

Even at 6’2″ I fit in these quite well. Owned a beautiful blue Opel GT in the mid 70’s. Only problem was the wrap into the roof doors that allowed a lot of sun to peer in, right into my eyes. Sold it to purchase a new 1976 Camaro with a 350. Never looked back.

This sure brings back good memories. There was this really cool Italian guy in our neighborhood that owned a yellow Opel GT. He was a hairdresser, and a lady’s man. The car really fit Mr. Rizzo, he was the coolest day in our neighborhood.Everyone else’s mom and dad drove GM and Ford products. He let us kids sit in the Opel and pretend we were driving it like crazy. He later traded the Opel GT for a yellow 911 Targa. My favorite color is orange. These cars really stood out at the local Buick dealership – Gandara Buick. Good luck to the seller.

If memory serves, the headlamps don’t pop-up, but they roll over, longitudinally. I lusted after a burnt orange GT for sale (with black racing stripe running its length) that my school bus would pass each day. It was almost my first car but my dad (probably wisely) helped me get buy new ’80 Dodge Colt instead. At least the Colt was the RS model with the twin-stick shifter.

Owned a 69 with a very anemic 1.1 liter. But that would have been fine were it not for a never ending series of random breaking things; window cranks, door handles, clutch cable, seat back adjuster, gearbox issues, blah, blah… Wonderful to drive through the twistys, but never owned a more frustrating car in my life! Oh yes, I bought it right after selling a 70 Mach 1. Worst move ever.

This is a nice one! I was getting some parts at our local wrecking yard two weeks ago, and here sat a new arrival Opel GT in faded orange. It looked so odd next to all the newer stuff. I looked it over with a certain historical admiration. Almost everyone that walked by it stopped to look, or laugh, and most of the younger kids were saying “what is it?” Anyway, glad this one is still on the road.

Re: the polarizing chartreuse color: My dad had a ’51 Ford convertible in that color, bought new. He talked about how much he loved that color years after it had turned into a rusted hulk and was sold. Sadly, I was born too late to see it in anything but Kodachrome slides.

For one thing, it won’t fit. Not even close. For another, it will destroy the nice weigh balance of these. Yes, it’s barely heavier than the stock four, but the weight is distributed very dofferently, with much more lateral loading from the V configuration.

These weren’t fast, but were agile and great fun at everyday speeds. Not meant for high-calorie motoring.

Patrick,How can you not think “baby Vette ?Thats a good thing btw.I think this is a lot of coin for one with “some rust”,I mean even the most basic of body restorations,turns this into a $20k Opel.Gotta say though ,it doesnt look like it needs it.If memory serves,most of these ,that I have seen,were automatics.

Had the Opel 1900 (Manta) back in 1984. The GT looks like someone put a Manta in a Shrinky Dink machine. Boy are these cars tiny! I’d love to have it and park it next to a TR2 in my garage. I remember walking in to Gayland Buick here in NJ and the parts manager laughing at me when I came looking for anything!

These are beautiful cars to drive. They max out around 117 mph but handle the speed nicely. The biggest problem with them is finding a mechanic that can work on them, when my mechanic became a short order cook the car went to pieces.

Oh man, this one’s a beaut! Dad had one in the early-mid 70s His ownership taught me the difference between ratchets and wrenches and phillips and flat-heads at a tender age – because he had to tune it up every other weekend and I had to hand him the tools under the car. I would love to buy this one and trailer it down to Florida for him! But I’m not sure he’d be happy about it – to steal a line from Lyle Lovett, “I owned an Opel GT once – and once was enough.” Maybe the Weber carb changes that?

Dad’s was yellow (where it wasn’t rust) and looked exactly like the older pictures, but not at all like how this one looks in the new pics. Hmm… not that originality makes a difference in a car like this.

So I never realized this until northwestnick mentioned it – it has no trunk! There was a sort of parcel shelf where the back seats would be (that’s where we rode) but that’s IT.

Rust is always the big problem on these. Dad’s didn’t last through too many CT winters.

I almost got one of these my first summer out of high school. It was languishing on a farm implement lot next to combines and balers but my farmer father wouldn’t go for it, although we did take it for a test drive. Never even got so far as to realize it didn’t have a trunk lid. Got a new Duster instead….at least I got a huge trunk.

Very nice survivor. I seem to recall that many of these came with a faux wood dash and wood rimmed steering. As a kid, my neighbors had one for a short while and it definitely stood-out against the see of family domestic crates. I believe there were competition versions in Europe, fuzzy brainwaves thinking they were called Black Widows?

In my early years a guy down the street had one of these and like others always referred to it as a “baby” vette. There was one this year at a car show that was this color. From a distance it looked really cool in a late 60’s/70’s way but up close it was very rusty in all the places you’d expect and then some. I would think with the history and apparent condition that this will find a new home soon.

These are such fun cars to drive! I despise the “mini-‘Corvette” moniker that some label these. My brother has owned perhaps ten of these over the yesrs, in range of condition from the feature car all the way to “damn, it that thing still on the road?” I’d love to own one, myself. The asking price is a bit over my budget these days, but with the ownership lineage this one has, you know what you are getting here. Very impressive little GT!

Atherton is one seriously expensive ZIP code, so it’s unlikely the owner cut any corners on maintenance/care to pinch pennies. Finding one-owner cars like this is going to be increasingly difficult as the years (and owners) pass.

Ah, memories. I had a red ’72 Opel GT right after college and it was a blast to drive – though I’d describe it as ‘sporty’ rather than a sports car. My favorite moment was just after I’d washed and waxed it in the driveway and my elderly neighbor came out and asked “Is that a Ferrari?”. Okay, his eyesight may have been weak but the GT is a lovely, curvy car.

Maybe it wasn’t intentional, but I respect a seller who begins his photo album with the chassis and engine bay details. And I don’t know much about Opel values, but given the ownership history and attention, I suspect this will find a new home soon.

For some reason, this is the color that I always see in my mind’s eye when I think of Opel GTs. I had a string of Opel Kadetts and Mantas in my high school and college days, and always wanted a GT. This looks like a nice one, although as others have already noted, that center console is more than a little odd.

That Frigidaire A/C compressor is the same basic model (not sure of the rotor size though) as GM used in all cars that year, including full size Caddys. That’ll help keep your ice cream frozen on the way back from the store…

Cute car, nicely kept in the family. Best of luck to the seller and the buyer.

Nice story. That AC compressor is quite the lump and, while interesting, that tunnel surround is ugly. A friend in HS had one with the 1.1 L (!) engine and the big joke was to yank on the headlight lever and pretend it was for the ejector seat.

As these guys go, this one looks great. They didn’t age well, the values took a huge drop right after production ended and a lot of them turned into beaters, then became potting soil. But this is a solid survivor. Family ownership is a nice added value.

The baby ‘Vette styling was polarizing at the time, but I always enjoyed it. Hand-crank pop-ups and all. Never seen one w/air; man, that is some compressor! I’d replace with a modern unit, to try and save a few HP for the rear wheels.

The color ain’t for me, but it sure fits the period. Much as I’d prefer something less dated, I’d probably leave it alone except for rust repair areas.

Interesting and fun lil’ cars, that now give you decent exclusivity in addition to a good drive.

Wow, seeing this reminds me of how much I like these. Really really cool. The color suits it, though I’d probably hold out for butterscotch or burnt orange. I just wish they had a hatchback. Love the manually operated pop-up headlights.

P.S. That center console is totally off the hook, in a good way. Captain Kirk called… He wants his A/C unit back!

These were lovely to drive. I remember a gearbox like silk from my own lucky experience behind the wheel of a 1969 model. I recall wholesome midwestern girls fit readily & comfortably in the passenger seat. Better dynamics than the contemporary Capri, like a baby Corvette but able also to go around corners. GM has much to atone for with the absence of any car like this in the current Opel line-up. Very easy to see why the old man held onto this lovely car. Good luck to whoever gets this one!

Regardless of whether this particular make and model is for me, the long-time, multi-generational ownership is always such a plus. When the time and the car are right, this is the kind of seller I want to work with.